what are the Mesothelioma...( symptoms - diagnosis - management)

What Are tthe Mesothelioma ?

Inhalation of asbestos fibres can cause a number of serious diseases most of which affect the lungs or pleura (the external lining of the lung). These include a number of forms of cancer and chronic conditions such as asbestosis and pleural thickening. This document summarised the latest available statistics on these diseases.
All of these diseases have a long latency, meaning it takes a long time – typically decades – for symptoms to occur following exposure to asbestos. However, for cancers such as mesothelioma and lung cancer, cases are often rapidly fatal following disease onset, while conditions such as asbestosis may progress over time to seriously affect normal daily activity and lead to complications which can be fatal.
Asbestos was used extensively in Great Britain in a wide range of products, but particularly in insulation and building materials following World War II. Widespread asbestos-exposures during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s led to a large increase in asbestos-related disease in Great Britain.
For some diseases – for example, mesothelioma and asbestosis – statistics can be derived from data sources that rely on counting of individual cases or deaths. For diseases that are regularly caused by other agents as well as asbestos – for example, lung cancer – statistics can be derived based on epidemiological evidence about the Attributable Fraction (AF) of cases or deaths due to asbestos exposure.

Malignant Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that principally affects the pleura (the external lining of the lung) and the peritoneum (the lining of the lower digestive tract). It takes many years to develop following the inhalation of asbestos fibres. Cases are often diagnosed at an advanced stage as symptoms are typically non-specific and appear late in the development of the disease. It is almost always fatal, and often within twelve months of symptom onset.
Mesothelioma has such a strong relationship with asbestos that annual cases give a particularly clear view of the effect of past exposures, and as the disease is usually rapidly fatal following disease onset, the number of annual deaths closely approximates to the annual number of new cases (i.e. the annual disease incidence).
Annual deaths in Britain increased steeply over the last 50 years, a consequence of mainly occupational asbestos exposures that occurred because of the widespread industrial use of asbestos during 1950-1980.

What Are the Most Common Mesothelioma Symptoms?

The first symptoms of mesothelioma include chest or abdominal pain, bloating and shortness of breath, depending on the location of the cancer. Because early-stage signs can be slight, doctors often mistake them as normal aches and pains or symptoms of less serious illnesses

Other symptoms 

• Dry cough or wheezing,Shortness of breath (dyspnea), Respiratory complications, Pain in the chest or abdomen, Fever or night sweats, Pleural effusion (fluid around the lungs), Fatigue, Muscle weakness

What Are the diagnosis  of Mesothelioma?

Most early mesothelioma diagnoses happen by accident through routine X-rays or blood tests. By the time someone identifies warning signs, the cancer often has spread, making it difficult for doctors to treat.

ASBESTOS LUNG CANCER

definition of the Asbestos's 

Asbestos's was defined by the Advisory Committee on Asbestos  as "fibrosis of the lungs caused by asbestos dusts which may or may \ not be associated with fibrosis of the parietal (outer) or pulmonary (inner) layer of the pleura

clinical manifestation of the asbestos lung cancer
 

The symptoms attributable to it (shortness of breath and cough) can be produced in many other ways, and the diagnosis during life is made on the physical signs, the results of pulmonary function tests, and the radiographic findings, accompanied by a history of substantial exposure. The fibrosis of the lungs that is associated with asbestos is is, however, indistinguishable radiologically from cryogenic fibrosis alveolars (an uncommon disease of unknown cause*)

MEDICAL EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE

Knowledge of the medical effects of asbestos has accumulated slowly since the turn of the century

and it is now universally agreed that the exposure of men and women to asbestos fibres can, in certain circumstances, lead to three diseases: asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma of the pleura or peritoneum. It can certainly also cause a group of benign conditions of the pleura of variable importance, and it may cause a group of other cancers, including cancers of the larynx, gastrointestinal tract, and kidney, and conceivably a wide range of others. Some of the features of these conditions are, we believe, beyond dispute and we describe them briefly here, without giving detailed evidence in support

Lung cancer

The lung cancers that are caused by asbestos should properly be called bronchial carcinomas, as should the vast majority of lung cancers that are caused by other known agents.

Mesothelioma

Mesotheliomas of the pleura or peritoneum are normally so rare, other than after occupational or other unusual exposure to asbestos, that any case that occurs after well attested and substantial asbestos exposure is commonly accepted as due to that exposure, subject only to the qualification that the time since the exposure occurred must be long enough to permit the disease to have been produced.

The relationship of mesothelioma to asbestos differs in several ways from the relationship for lung cancer. The hazard appears to be more strongly dependent on the type of asbestos and to be largely or wholly unaffected by smoking. As a result of these and other differences, the ratio of the numbers of mesotheliomas and lung cancers produced by any given exposure to asbestos varies at least 10- fold from about 1-1 0 to 1-1

Mesothelioma Lawyer ( Asbestos Lawyers)

Mesothelioma lawsuits constitute the largest single tort in the history of the nation. There have been more lawsuits filed over asbestos personal harms, asbestos product liability and asbestos wrongful deaths than in any other category or class of civil litigation.

The only facts that are clear in asbestos litigation are that it is still going on because people are still developing malignant mesothelioma. And there are still more than enough lawyers to go around.

how can you become  good lawyer ?? 

The simple answer to this question is experience. But what experience is crucial? There are several areas where knowledge of the mesothelioma legal landscape is critical; if for no other reason than plaintiffs who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma do not have a lot of time remaining to them to pursue litigation or any other earthly goal.

what the lawyer can do ?

• A mesothelioma attorney must be familiar with the state laws where his client resides as well as the current trends in the selection of state courts for these cases. Some jurisdictions have developed reputations for being pro-defendant or pro-business. Others have become known for being sympathetic to people who are ill with an asbestos related disease.
• Recently, virtually all mesothelioma cases that are not filed in federal court have been filed in California or Illinois. It takes a knowledgeable attorney to understand the reasons for these tactics and an attorney who has the licensing to practice in the most advantageous court.
• Many mesothelioma cases are filed in federal court today; there are some districts that are more popular than others for mesothelioma cases in federal jurisprudence as well. Many districts have designated a judge to manage the asbestos case docket alone. Your mesothelioma & asbestos lawyer needs to be able to decide if a federal jurisdiction is favorable in your case, and if so which one; moreover, that attorney must be licensed to practice before the federal bench as well.
• Case law is constantly changing the rules that make for a successful mesothelioma compensation claim. Medical proof requirements have tightened in several jurisdictions due to fraud on the part of some unscrupulous attorneys and doctors. The evidence in your case must match up with the requirements of the jurisdiction where it is being filed.
• A mesothelioma attorney must be familiar with the trust funds that have been established by major corporations who have used this mechanism to settle asbestos liabilities as a step in emerging from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. There have been several settlements in the last three years, resulting in new trust funds to be added to the list. Filing a claim with a trust fund is a different procedure than filing a lawsuit; your attorney should know which is the better choice based on possible returns and the health condition of his client.